Box Score
MOBILE, Ala. ? Sophomore Tiara Smith scored 9:21 into the contest, then the Jaguar defense and goalkeeper Kelsie Langford made the lead stand, as South Alabama held on to a 1-0 victory over Jacksonville State Sunday afternoon at The Cage. Langford made 12 saves, including eight in the second half.
South Alabama (4-2) dominated most of the first 60 minutes, with Smith’s goal coming on the sixth shot in the first 10 minutes. After picking up a loose ball, she dribbled through her defender and found the lower right corner of the net. The Jaguars held a 12-9 advantage in shots in the period, while also taking all four of their corner kicks.
Jacksonville State (1-5) did not roll over, though, controlling most of the second half. The contest was in doubt until the final whistle when South Alabama’s wall of defenders blocked a free kick by Kaitlyn McClellan with three seconds to play. JSU outshot the Jaguars 22-15 in the contest, including 13-3 after intermission.
“The only think we can take from this is a win,” head coach Mike Varga said. “I would have liked to have played better after Friday (a 2-1 loss to Southern Miss). Our defense made too many mistakes that (Jacksonville State) could have capitalized on, but in the end, the wall did its job and saved the win.”
South Alabama now faces a four-game road swing beginning next weekend at the Southeastern Louisiana Tournament. The Jags will play Nicholls State on Friday before squaring off against the hosts on Sunday afternoon.
